Improvement in wire-cable windlasses



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

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Patehted May 21,1878.

.INVENTOR- W ITN ESS ES. I

2 Shet8-S1eet2- J. PV. MA'NTON; Wire-Cable Windlass.

T No. 208,845.

Pa'ten'ted May 2 1, 1878,

4 W|TNEssES-- N. PEIERS. PHOTO LITHOGR WASHINGTON D C a the contact device.

UNITED S'I'A'rns PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH P. MANTON, OF ROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN SHIP WINDLASS COMPANY, OF SAME PLAOE.`

IMPROVEMENT IN WlRE-CABLE WINDLASSES.

Spccification forming part of Letters Patent NO. 203,845, datcd May 21, 1878; application filed June 8, 1876.

.Improvements in Cable-Windlasses; and I hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved cable-windlass. Fig. 2 is a rear end view of the same, showing the `drum on which the cable is wound in view. Fig. 3 is a front view of the windlass, showing the main pulley and Fi g. 4 is an enlarged view of the eccentric contact-pulley, by which the cable is brought into close contact with the V-shaped groove of the main pulley, and all slip is prevented.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention has reference to improvements in ship-windlasses adapted for Wire cable, so that the same may be substituted for the ordinary chain cable, and be hauled in, paid out, and otherwise controlled with the same facility as chain cable and without injury vto the Wire cable.

It consists, first, in the novel arrangement of a V-shaped pulley connected by suitable locking devices with the driving-shaft so that the same may be readily disconnected therefrom and arranged to be controlled by a frictionbrake; second,in the arrangementof V-shaped guide-pulleys Operating in connection with the main pulley'or wild-cat, so as to insure a larger amount of contact by guiding the cable around the greater portion of the periphery of the main pulley; third7 by the novel arrangement of an eccentric clip or contact-pulley acting on the cable, and holding the same in close con-. tact with the main pulley to prevent slipping; and, fourth in the novel arrangement with the windlass of a drum, on which the cable is automatically wound as the same is hauled in, as will be more fully set forth hereiuafter.

In the drawings, a is the main pulley or wildcat, provided with a V-shaped groove on its perlphery. In operation, the main pulley a performs the functions ordinarily performed by the wild-cat, the V-shaped groove 'being arranged to gripe and hold the wire ropefirmly. This main pulley or wild-cat a is loose on the driving-shaft b, but can be locked to the same by a key inserted into the locking-disk c, which disk is firmly secured to the driving-shaft b.

When the Wire cable is to be hauled in, the main pulley or wild-cat a is connected with the looking-disk by the key d, and thcrefore turns with the shaft b but when the main pulley or wild-cat is disconnected from the looking-disk c, the same is controlled by the friction-brake, the strap or band of which passes around a rim secured to the main pulley, the same as is usual on wild-cats for chain-windlasses, so that in paying out the wire cable is under complete control of the friction-brake.

e and are guide-Wheels provided with V- shaped grooves on their face, in which the wire cable is held. They are arranged to turn freely and guide the Wire cable to and from `the main pulley or wild-cat, so as to bring the same in contact with as much of the V-shaped groove in the main pulley as is de'emed necessary to insure a firm hold on the same.

g is the eccentric contact-pulley, which is mounted on a shaft the center of which in the journals is at one side from the center of the pulley g, so that by turning the shaft the pulley g is brought in contact with the Wire cable, firmly holding the same in the V-shaped groove, as is shown in Fig. 4. u

'i is the hand-spike or lever for Operating the friction-brake by which the main pulley or wild-cat a is controlled in payin g out the cable.

k is a chain-pulley, secured either to the driving-shaft or to the main pulley or wildcat, or it may be arranged so as to be connected. to and disconnected from the drivingshaft. From this chain-pulley 70 an endless chain extends to the chain-pulley lt', by which motion is imparted to the V-shaped frictionpulley l, and by the same, through the frictionpulley m to the friction-pulley l'.

The friction-pulley m is secured to the shaft, on which is the drum n, and the 'drum is rotated by the friction-gears Z, l', and m, the motion being conveyed from the windlass by the Chain and Chain-Wheels 7a and 70'.

The speed of the drum n is arranged so that when the drum is empty as much Cable will be Wound on the same as the main pulley or wild- Cat takes up. As the diameter increases' by the successive layers of the eable the frictionpulley 'm will slip on the grooved pulley l, thus keepin g the Cable always sufficiently strained to prevent kinks and automatically wind all the Cable that is taken up by the windlass on the drum n.

The winding-drum a is Controlled by a separate friCtion-brake, o, operated by the leverp, sothat in paying out the drum Can be perfectly Controlled.

The guide-pulleys e and f may be placed much Closer together than shown in the drawings, so that the Cable shall be in contact with nearly the whole of the periphery of the main pulley.

The operation of the Cable-windlass is as follows: When a Cable is to be hauled in by the windlass, rotativc motion is imparted to the main driving-shaft b by either hand or steam power, the main pulley or wild-cat is loCked by the locking-block d to the disk c, and the whole is rotated. The Cable lying in the V-shaped groove is firmly held, being foreed into the tapering groove by the strain on the end, and is so hauled in.

On first starting an anehor, or when an extra strain is required, the eccentric contactpulley g is brought to bear firmly on. the Cable, and the Cable is thus firmlypressed into the V-shaped groove, as shown in Fig. 4, and held in Contact with the main pulley or wild-cat a.

A Contact-pulley in every respect like the one shown in Fig. 4, mounted on an ecCentrie shaft and operated by a hand-lever, may take the place of the guide-pulley e, and a V- shaped shoe may be fixed under the same, so that when the pulley is free it will answer all the purposes of the guide-pulley a, and when it is foreed down on the Cable by the hand spike or lever, it will press the same into the V-shaped groove in the shoe, and thus lock the eable and firmly hold the same. The Cable, passing under the guide-pulley f, passes over the main pulley and under the guide-pulley e, and so on to the drum n, where the same is wound up by the motion imparted to the drum bymeans of the Chain and Chain-Wheels lc and k'.

This peculiar winding apparatus, driven from the windlass by means of the frietiongears l Z' andm at a maximum speed, and which allows for the difference in the diameter of the drum by the slipping of the frictiongear, so as to maintain a certain strain on the Cable and wind the same in even layers on the drum, is an essential feature of this invention.

When the eable is to be paid out,.the main pulley or 'wild-eat is unloeked from the lookingdisk c, and the paying out is Controlled by the friction-brake operated by the handle or lever while at the same time the drum n is conw trolled by the friction-brake o, operated by the handle p.

In paying out, the Chain-wheel k may be loose on the driving-shaft, or it may be secured to the main pulley or wild-cat. I prefer the latter, as there is less friCtion and wear on the friction-gears l, l', and m. i

The advance in the art of manufacturing wire Cable and the great advantage of its use over Chain Cable make a windlass especially adapted to the use of wire eable very desirable.

In the present invention all the peculiar difiiculties of handling wire Cable are overcome, and wirecable may be readily used for any purpose for which Chain or rope has heretofore been required.

Having thus deseribed my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a ship-windlass, the Combination, with the main driving-shaft b, of the loekin g-disk c and main pulley a, provided with a V-shaped groove adapted to holda wire Cable, and Controlled by a friction-brake, snbstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the main pulley a, provided with the V-shaped groove arranged to be loose on the driving-shaft, and to be locked to or unlocked from the same by suitable looking-gear, of the guide-pulleys e and f, arranged snbstantially as and for the purpose deseribed.

3. The combination, with a Cable-windlass, of the eccentrie 'contact-pulley g, arranged to press the' Cable into the V-shaped groove, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The Combination of the main pulley a, loose on its shaft, and arranged to be connected with or disconnected from the same by a suitable looking device, and Controlled by a frietion-brake, of the guide-pulleys eand f and the eCCentriC contact-pulley g, the whole Operating as a ship-Windlass for hauling in and paying out wire Cable, snbstantially as deseribed.

5. The Combination, with the wire- Cable windlass, Consisting of the main pulley a and the guide-pulleys and f, deseribed, of the drum n, and means, substantially as deseribed, by which rotative motion is imparted to the drum for the purpose of winding the Cable as the same is hauled iu by the windlass, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The Combination, with the V-shaped wheel or pulley m, of the Wheels or pulleys land l', provided with V-shaped grooves,and arranged to support and impart motion to the drum a, snbstantially as and for the purpose deseribed.

7. The Combination of the Chain-pulleys k 70', the Chain, and the windin g-drum n, whereby the drum is rotated Coincidently with the snbstantially as windlass a, and thereby Winds upon itself the to hold the oable, guide-pnlleys to guide the cable as it is delivered from the windlass, suboable around the greater portion of the main stantially as and for the purpose desoribed. pulley, and a winding apparatus for winding` 8. The combination, with the drum n, of the the eable, substantially as and for the purpose riotion-gltfs 1,11% and l', aldhthrbrake lo, specified.

or oontro 'ng t e rotation o t e um, su

stantially as and for the purpose set forth. Jos' P' MANTON' 9. In a wire-eable windlass, the oombina- Witnesses:

tion of the following elements: a main puJley J OSEPH A. MILLER,

or wild-eat, provided with a V-shaped groove AMos A. WHITE. 

